What Happens Now?
by theotherslover
Summary: My try at a Post-Cyberwoman piece. Implied Janto.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Setting: Post Cyberwoman

No one wanted to look at one another. That would be too difficult. No one wanted to look at the sight in front of them either. That would be even worse. So they settled to look at the floor or the walls around them. Anywhere but straight ahead or at each other, it was easier that way.

Jack didn't look at the floor or the walls. He stared straight on, his jaw clenched. One could look onto the scene in front of him with pity, sadness and even sympathy. Jack just looked at the sight of his lover with anger. Sorry, former lover, Jack had to remind himself. This was the man who Jack trusted, confided in, and even slept with, but he was, falling apart over the sight of his secret murderous girlfriend.

Ianto continued to cry and scream, fervent and loud. He stretched his hand to touch the body's hand, but he pulled away once he touched it. He settled for holding his head in his hands and coiled into himself, rocking back and forth on his knees.

Jack finally had enough and he walked over to Ianto. "Get up." His voice was firm and demanding. Ianto didn't seem to even register his presence. "Ianto, get up." Once again, Ianto didn't move. Jack took out his gun and repeated himself, but nothing seemed to get the young man's attention. Jack raised his gun higher to strike the back of Ianto's head.

"Jack don't!" Tosh screamed. She had finally looked up from her spot on the floor. Jack looked at Tosh and nodded, lowering the gun. Her scream got Ianto's attention too and he looked up from the destroyed corpse on the floor. His gun was laying near him and he glanced at it thinking he could shoot himself before the rest of them had time to think if he only moved his position a little. Jack followed his eyes and kicked the gun out of reach, towards the others. Ianto growled at the lost opportunity but he looked back at the body lying at his feet and started to coil into himself once again.

Jack saw the movement and grabbed his arms before Ianto could get into the protective position. "Oh no you don't." Jack hauled the young man to his feet, keeping a firm grip on his upper arm. Ianto struggled against the hold, desperately trying to get back to the body, back to his Lisa. "Owen, cuffs."

Owen looked up. "Jack, I don't-"

"Now Owen!" Jack yelled.

"Yeah, yeah fine boss," he said, reaching into his back pocket and grabbing hand cuffs. He tossed them to Jack who clamped Ianto's hands behind his back. Ianto hardly noticed the cold metal on his wrists. All he could feel was the blood on his hands.

Jack pulled the younger man roughly and he steered him out of the room past the others. Before Ianto even registered what was happening he found himself standing in the cell next to Janet's, no longer handcuffed. "Shoes, socks, jacket, belt and tie," Jack demanded. Ianto stared at him for a second in confusion. It clicked what Jack was asking of him and he handed Jack the articles slowly. Once Jack was satisfied he locked the cell door and left Ianto alone with nothing to keep him company but the growls from Janet and the emotions that were slowly devouring him.

Jack walked up the stairs to the Hub with his hands in his pockets. He never felt so angry and hurt in his entire existence. This betrayal was not just to Torchwood, it was to him personally. Jack knew he should separate the two, but with Ianto he never could. It wasn't like they were even together like that, it was only twice, but it felt like more. With Ianto it always did.

Jack reached the main area of the hub and saw everyone was standing there waiting for him, the CCTV of the cells on the screen. They stood together in silence for a few moments. It was Owen who finally broke the silence.

"What the bloody hell are we gonna do Jack?"

"I don't know," Jack whispered, looking down.

"You know what protocol says," Owen added, slightly pained.

"No!" Tosh blurted out. Gwen walked over and put her arm around her colleague.

"Tosh, please," Jack managed to say.

"No Jack! You can't. He was trying to save someone he loved! You can't blame him any more than you can blame me," Tosh yelled back.

"Yeah, but Tosh you didn't almost destroy the world," Owen added.

"Would you have? To save Katie?" Owen shot Tosh a look. "No Owen, don't you dare look at me like that. To save your fiancee, you would've risked everything." Owen's silence gave Tosh the answer she was looking for. "Jack, please don't kill him."

"I'm not to kill him Tosh. It would make him too happy," Jack's voice was cold as he glanced back at the screen to his the young man rolled in a ball on the floor of his cell. "And I'm not going to punish him for trying to save his girlfriend either."

"So he's just going to get off?" Owen asked.

"No. He lied to us, lied to me. That is where he was wrong."

"So what do you want us to do Jack?" It was Gwen this time.

Jack sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "Gwen, Tosh, go dismantle and incinerate that machine. Owen incinerate the bodies too. The rest of the cleaning leave. When you're done, go home." Jack watched as his team nodded and began to move. Gwen and Tosh made their way down to the basement, but Owen stayed for a few moments to look at Jack.

"Cool down before you go talk to him, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Owen."

Jack waited an hour before finally getting up in the cell. The more he waited, the more hurt he felt. He needed to get this off his mind before he would be too angry to think clearly.

Ianto was sitting with his back against the side wall, his head in his hands. Jack stood near the glass and watched him for a few moments. Ianto was oblivious to his presence or ignoring him, Jack wasn't sure which one it was.

"Ianto?" Jack calmly said. Ianto jumped slightly, took a breath and turned to face Jack.

"Sir." His voice was empty and Jack almost didn't recognize the word that used to make him weak.

"We need to talk."

"Why?" Ianto's voice cracked

"What do you mean why?" Jack asked, folding his arms against his chest.

"Why do we have to talk when you are just going to kill me? That's protocol."

"Is that what you want?"

Ianto looked up now. His eyes were bright red from tears. "Yes."

Jack smiled. "Then it wouldn't be much of a punishment, would it?"

Ianto looked away. "So what happens now?"

"Now we talk."

"Interested now, huh?"

"Always was," Jack replied quickly. Ianto laughed quietly. "How much of your file was fake?"

"Most of it."

"Work history, medical history, education."

"You shouldn't have changed your medical history."

"Nothing of importance, just injuries after the fire."

"You weren't a junior researcher."

"Bravo," Ianto snorted.

"Then what were you," Jack snapped back.

"Head archivist."

"At your age?"

"Recruited in Uni."

"So you were a good student?" Jack asked. Ianto made a committal noise. "I take it you have family then." At that Ianto stood up and walked over to the glass, slamming his hands against it.

"They have nothing to do with this," Ianto growled.

"So you do then."

"Jack-"

"No, I'm just getting a picture of what you really are."

"And what am I Jack? A liar, a manipulator, a murderer? You can take your pick!"

"You proud of those?"

"Anything for her."

"And those times with me? Was that for her?" Jack tightened his gaze as Ianto stormed away from the glass and moved to opposite side of the cell. "Was I part of the plan?"

"Don't flatter yourself Jack, you jumped me that night."

"You didn't exactly say no," Jack's voice turned to venom. Ianto was speaking so indifferent about their time together and it had meant so much to him.

"It was...Lisa she was having a bad day and I... I just wanted to... to feel," Ianto muttered.

"And the second night?" Jack asked, leaning in. Ianto whispered something that was inaudible. "Excuse me?"

"You looked sad Jack and I thought I could help!" Ianto yelled back.

"So you shagged me out of pity," Jack snapped.

"No! Yes, I don't know."

"Well pity is all you better hope for now. When we're done today you are going to stay here for as long as I feel fit. Then you will be suspended for a month. Understood?"

"Done with what?"

"Come with me," Jack said as opened the cell door. He grabbed the younger man's upper arm and brought him back to the basement. The bodies and equipment were long gone, but the blood was still there. Jack leaned against the wall as he watched the young man slowly clean the blood. His hands were shaking as he moved the cloth over the red liquid. Jack sighed, it was going to be a bad couple of weeks.

**I'm not really sure about this. Some people wanted me to try to write longer things and this has the potential to be extended. After the wonderful feedback from Say Anything (thank you very much by the way) I wanted to give it another shot. These are really me just playing around trying to figure out how to write a fanfic. Tell me what you think. - TOL**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything**

**Warning: Slight language. **

**Sorry, it's short, but I wanted to get something out there than take forever especially as I am going to be very busy this week. Tell me what you think.**

When Jack woke up, his nose alerted him that something was wrong. He usually woke to the smell of coffee, but there was no gorgeous aroma moving throughout the hub. Jack was used to the smell and it brought warmth to his bleak and cold bunker. He almost yelled out to see if Ianto was in the hub when he realized that Ianto _was_ in the hub. The young man was asleep in the cells.

Jack rubbed his eyes before getting out of bed and throwing on his shirt and braces. The hub was too quiet for his liking. He made his way to the kitchen and stood in the door way. This was Ianto's domain and it felt like trespassing, which Jack thought ridiculous since it was technically his space and not Ianto's. He took the first step into the kitchen area and shuddered as he passed through that threshold. He didn't stay long however because the coffee machine looked more like alien technology than a kitchen appliance. His caffeine addiction overcame him and he decided that he could run to Starbucks.

So Starbucks hadn't been a great idea. It had taken him twice as long as he thought, it was raining so he was soaked, and a car sprayed him with mud as it passed. To top it off, the coffee was now cold. Jack growled as he looked at his now ruined clothes in the mirror before putting them in the bin and changing. This was already turning out to be a bad day and it barely begun.

Jack resorted to doing some paperwork from the past week. He could've made a serious dent in the pile if the phone stopped ringing, but it didn't. He had four phone calls from Unit and two from Torchwood House and several from the PM office. His office phone had never rang that much since Ianto came on staff. The fact that his out pile didn't disappear as it was filled also didn't go unnoticed. The time slipped by him as he continued working and before he knew it the clock struck 9 and Jack decided that work hours were long over. Jack was just about to shut off the lights when an alarm sounded. He ran to the computer to see what the problem was but soon tensed when the alert was internal and coming from the cells. Grabbing his gun he raced down into the cells to see what the problem was.

The "guests" were going mad. All of them, tearing and banging against the cell walls. All of them, expect one Ianto Jones who was laying very calmly on the bench in his cell.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Jack questioned, running his hand through his hair.

"What time is it?" Ianto yelled to Jack while continuing to stare at the ceiling.

"Just past nice. Why?" Jack answered, walking towards the glass.

"Oh, well that makes sense," Ianto replied, still not looking at Jack.

"Care to tell me what's going on?"

"Come on Captain, give it some thought." Jack couldn't see, but he sure the young man was smirking. He knew something like this would happen, and he was clearly getting joy out of Jack's discomfort.

"It's late," Jack said thinking out loud.

"Yep. And?" Ianto replied back, now holding his hand up at arms length, studying the blood still embedded in his finger nails.

"And I haven't given them much attention today."

"Warmer."

"And...shit."

"I think he's got it," Ianto laughed.

"I didn't feed them today."

With that, Ianto sat up and turned towards Jack. "They are used to getting fed at five, sir."

"Oh damn. Sorry guys," Jack said to the whole cell block. "I'll uh, dammit Ianto, what do I feed them?"

Ianto snorted. "You're the bloody boss Jack, you should know."

"Well, I clearly don't so just tell me!" Ianto didn't respond. "Come on, Ianto. These are the guests we are talking about here. Just tell me so I can feed them. You don't want their lives on your conscious too."

Ianto stiffened. Jack chose his words precisely to sting, and sting they did.

"Fine. Janet gets a steak, raw, it's in the containment freezer. Cells 2-6 all get a bowl of the greens in the fridge. It's labeled 2-6 on the container. Cells 7 and 8 get the meat in the freezer. It's next to Janet's steak. Also you need to order salmon from the fish market for Myfanwy. Oh and call the Chinese restaurant and order a number 4."

"Who gets Chinese?"

"You do. I'm sure you've forgotten to eat today," Ianto replied. Jack tried to hide his smile. He had forgotten about eating that day. It wasn't something he usually covered. If Ianto put food on his desk, he'd eat it. It was simple.

"What do you want?"

"I'm not hungry, sir."

"Ianto, you have to eat something."

"I'm not hungry, and I don't think I could keep it down anyway, sir." Jack appeared to accept Ianto's reasoning, but it did not stop him from bringing down half his order of Chinese and putting it in Ianto's cell when he went to feed the rest of the guests. Ianto didn't touch the food he was offered. Besides during his short conversation with Jack, Ianto had felt sick all day. Ianto began to yarn and knew it was getting late, but to look on the bright side, one day down, a life time to go.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything**

**Warning- Dark themed**

Ianto sat with his back against the glass wall. His body hurt all over and his eyes were dry from crying. However, the one positive of being this dehydrated was that he couldn't cry anymore. That was always a plus. Jack's chinese was still in the container on the other side of the cell. He didn't want to touch it. His stomach growled as the smell overcame the cell. He wouldn't eat the food. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve Jack and he didn't deserve to be alive.

_He had almost killed them_. That's all that went through his head. He had almost killed his teammates, the closest thing to family he ever had. Sure they ignored him, ridiculed him and barely knew him, but they were still better than anything he had ever known. And he had almost lost them. He wasn't sure what was worse: Lisa's blood on his hands, or cleaning up Gwen's, Owen's, Tosh's or worst of all, Jack's. To make it worse, he wasn't sure why he had done it anymore. Sure, at first he did it for Lisa and he would do it again for her, but that wasn't his Lisa. He knew that now. Her voice, her eyes, they were not hers. The whole time she was just a reflection of what his Lisa had been. He could see that now. It was obvious, but he didn't want to see it at the time. Lisa died in Canary Wharf and this machine of her was just him holding on too long. She deserved a better rest than that.

Ianto shifted to get more comfortable against the glass wall, well as comfortable as someone could be in the cells. Janet's growls could be heard over the dreadfully loud silence. Was that what he was now? A savage animal that would kill for no reason other than to feel another's blood on his skin. Was he the same as a weevil? Torchwood was created to fight against alien threats, he certainly stood by that. Now he was a threat, maybe terrestrial, but a threat nonetheless. Torchwood had the duty to deal with him, he decided. It was their job. It was their purpose and since they didn't seem to have the stomach to dispose of him, he would take care of the problem himself. It would be his honor.

So no, Ianto wasn't going to eat the food Jack had left for him.

Owen and Jack looked at the CCTV of the cells. Owen had his hands on his hips and Jack had his arms crossed.

"So he's just been sitting there all day?" Owen asked.

"Yep."

"How much water has he drank?"

"I don't think much if any."

"And food?"

"I gave him some Chinese last night."

Owen sighed and moved towards the screen, pointing to an object on the far side of the cell. "That Chinese?"

"Yeah, I guess. He hasn't eaten it."

"And just to be clear, the whole reason for keeping him in the cells is to make sure he's stable enough not to top himself, right?"

"You know the second we sent him home he would have just slit his wrists or something. You saw the way he was looking at the gun before!" Jack answered back.

"Dammit Jack, no one's that thick."

"What the hell are you talking about Owen?"

"There is more than one way to kill yourself Jack."

"You mean he's purposely not..."

"Look," Owen pointed towards the screen, "He keeps glancing at it. It must be over 76 hours since he's eaten anything. Add that to the stress he's in right now. I'm surprised he hasn't collapsed yet."

"What do we do?"

"We need to get him to eat something and drink some water. Getting him to relax may be a bit of a stretch, but see what you can do."

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

Jack walked down the stairs to the cells, a bowl of soup in his hands and a bottle of water in his pocket. He saw the young man's back pressed against the wall and for a brief moment Jack felt a sense of longing for the man. He slowly sat down, his back against the glass, so him and Ianto were back to back with only the glass between them.

"Hey," Jack whispered.

"Hm," Ianto acknowledged.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine sir."

"Liar," Jack joked, but immediately regretted it. Even though he was not facing the man, or touching him, he could sense Ianto tense up.

"What do you want from me Jack?" Ianto growled.

"I want you."

Ianto snorted. "Really? You are trying to hit on me, now?"

"No, I'm not and I resent the fact that you think I am... I want you... Just you, to get through this. And I'm not saying I don't miss the coffee, the fact that the hub is always spotless, or even the sex. 'Cause, hell, I do. But Ianto, what I really truly miss is you. And I'm not asking anything of you, cause frankly right now, I don't want anything from you except yourself. So please, eat the soup I brought you and drink the water. 'Cause it does get better, Ianto and I want you to be around to see it."

There was a long silence after that. Ianto studied his hands before finally turning around and placing his hand against the glass next to Jack's face. "Okay."

**Thank you so much to those for favorited, subscribed and reviewed. I really am having a lot of fun doing this. Keep commenting, I like to read what you have to say. It's helping me develop this :)- TOL**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

**Thank you all for the reviews/alerts/favorites! **

Ianto looked up from where he was sitting on the bench in his cell. The door opened and Ianto held his breath as Jack walked in carrying a pizza box. Ianto didn't fail to notice that it was not from the same pizzeria that Annie worked for. He also didn't fail to notice that the pizza box was rather large.

"Hungry?" Jack asked smiling.

"I could eat. Not like I can say no."

Jack stopped but after a moment smiled. "Yeah well, it's still nice to ask." He leaned against the opposite wall and slid down until he was sitting comfortably. "Mind if I join you?"

"Okay," Ianto said hesitantly.

Jack motioned to the spot next to him and Ianto stood up and mirrored Jack's position in the available space.

"You look tired sir," Ianto stated after grabbing a slice of pizza.

"I'm okay."

Ianto smiled. "Okay I was being polite. You look like you are about to fall over."

Jack rubbed his eyes with his free hand and nodded. "Four rift alarms, two weevils, paperwork, debriefing the PM and I had to feed the guests, buy new supplies, and archive the paperwork."

"What? You archived paperwork?" Terror seeped through his body.

"Knew that would get a reaction out of you. No, all of the files are piling on the spare table near the entrance."

"My desk," Ianto whispered.

"What?"

"My desk, it's not a spare table, it's my desk."

"Oh...sorry. I can try to sort them-"

"No! Whatever you do, don't go in there. Hire a new archivist to put those away. Just don't have any of the team do it. I spent months working on that. It's the only part of my legacy that is still intact."

"What do you mean hire someone to do it?"

"Well, it's not going to file itself Jack or did some new piece of technology come through the rift that you've been hiding from me?"

"I don't need a new archivist or piece of technology. That's what I got you for." Jack's voice was casual as reached for another slice of pizza.

Ianto froze. "Jack, sir, I-"

"I said you were suspended, not fired."

"But Jack-"

"You think I was going to put you through all this just to retcon you?" Jack said around his pizza bites.

"No...I just...oh never mind."

"Hey, tell me," Jack said putting his hand on Ianto's arm.

"I just didn't think I was ever getting out of here."

"You're still a member of this team, Ianto."

"How are they? The team."

"They're fine. A little shaken up. Caffeine deprived," Jack sighed.

"They can't bear to look at me, huh?"

"Why would you say that?" Jack asked.

"No one's been done here since I've been here. Owen and Tosh do tests on weevils usually. They've been working on their tests for months. It would take a hell of a lot to stop Owen from getting the data. He was saying he was finally getting some results. Gwen likes to make sure the guests are okay everyday. I can't imagine her bleeding heart to stop, you know, bleed. That is, unless it's turned cold for another reason. And you are cleaning, which you would never do unless you had to."

"Then you don't know your team as well as you think you do. Look up and smile."

"Excuse me?"

"No one's there now, because I sent them home, but the camera is still recording."

"CCTV?" asked, looking up.

"Owen wired it to the main screens in the board room, and in Tosh's station. They are always looking at you. I didn't tell them to, they told me after they've done it. And the reason none of them have been done here is because I asked them to. Owen wants to prod you with a full exam, Gwen tears up and goes all motherly every time she passes the CCTV footage and I think if Tosh came down here she would never leave."

"So why are you here Jack?" Ianto asked, running his hand through his hair.

"Cause I want to."

"I don't understand why," Ianto murmured.

"Remember when we used to do this? Eat dinner together and just talk."

"The last time was our first night together."

"Yeah. It was the day that Owen opened the alien cage."

Ianto started to laugh. "Those mouse like buggers were all over the autopsy bay and Owen was screaming."

"And you just smiled and threw him a mouse trap," Jack laughed.

"We eventually gave him a break, but it took us six hours to collect them all. The look on your face when I brought in the pizza. You were terrified"

"You said the alien mice got it!"

"And you believed me!" Both of them were lost in the memory of that day, laughing. Ianto was trying very hard to catch his breath and Jack was clenching his sides. Their breath began to even out, but they were still smiling. Jack looked over that young man sitting beside him. There it was. There was the smile that Jack thought he would never see again. Relief spread through him as he reached over and tilted Ianto's face. He leaned in and captured Ianto's lips with his own. It took a second for Ianto to respond, but he did for a moment and for that moment nothing else existed for the two men. Ianto was the first to pull away. He was looking at his hands in his lap. Jack stared at him for a minute before grabbing the pizza box and standing up. "Get some sleep, I'll be back tomorrow."

**Hope you all liked it. Review and tell me what you think. - TOL**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer- Don't own anything**

**Warning- Slight language and some violence**

"Shit" Jack mumbled. He was typing away on the keyboard monitoring the rift activity. He had just sent the team out to go inspect it, but now there was a weevil sighting. Well, not so much as a weevil sighting, but multiple weevils heading towards a highly populated area. He could take one weevil, two and if he was lucky 3 but he couldn't take four. He would be killed and that didn't bother him, but by the time he came to the weevils would have already provoked chaos and people would be dead. No, he needed help.

The team were all busy. He knew that. There was no way one of them could be called out. The only reason he stayed behind was because he was known amongst the species they were dealing with and not in a good way. No, the team were out there on their own, and they needed to work on that together. If it went south, weevils would be the least of their problems.

Jack ran his hands through his hair and tried to think about what he could possibly do when he stopped. His eyes flickered to the large screen, and the young man who was starring in the footage.

Ianto was startled when Jack towered down the stairs and into the hall in front of his cell. It wasn't time to eat yet and Jack looked tensed.

"Jack? What's going on?" Ianto asked, getting to his feet.

"Weevil alert, four of them."

"Oh. Well, the cells on the floor below are empty if you need more space to put them."

"I need to get them first."

"Where's Owen?"

"The whole team are out on a call," Jack said, getting restless.

"So?"

"I need help Ianto."

"Oh, of course."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Are you?"

Jack didn't respond. He just opened the cell door and allowed Ianto to walk out. Ianto stood before Jack and smiled. The more confidence he showed, the more Jack would trust him. He wasn't surprised though when Jack handed him a stun gun instead of his usual glock along with the anti-weevil spray. He didn't say anything as he climbed into the passenger seat of the SUV.

Jack woke with a start. He and Ianto had decided to split up, but he got the bad end of the split. He could see Ianto quickly tackling his weevil with practiced ease. However, Jack had three weevils charging at him. He managed to take one out, but as he was reaching for the second, the third came up behind him and bit into this jugular and everything went black. Now he was breathing, shaking and fighting. Something was restraining him and he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Jack, Jack, Jack!" was all he heard.

"Ianto?"

"Hey, it's okay I got you."

Jack looked around. He was laying in Ianto's arms, covered in blood in a dark alley. "What happened?"

"Weevil thought you looked tasty. Fancied a bite."

"Where are they? There were three of them," Jack said, starting to pull away from Ianto.

"Sedated and cuffed in the back of the SUV."

"How?"

"I took care of it."

"Oh," Jack sighed and leaned back into Ianto's arms, not back to his full strength.

"How are you?"

"Been better. How'd you know I'd come back?"

" Have known for a while. It's all in the paperwork, sir."

"And you're still here?" Jack questioned.

Ianto looked down. "What? You thought I was just going to leave you here?"

Jack winced at the pain in Ianto's voice. "No, of course not." He wiggled his way out of Ianto's arms and stood.

"So, what happens now?" Ianto said from where he sitting on the floor.

"I'll drop you off on the way to the hub." Ianto didn't move and Jack turned back to look at him. He smiled before adding, "I'm taking you home Ianto. Come back in three weeks."

"Are you sure, sir?"

"I trust you."

**Sorry this took so long, had a very busy week. This potentially could be the ending of this fic, or I could continue it through the next episode. Tell me what you want me to do and what you think. I am so grateful for the response this fic has had. -TOL**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry, this is very short but I am really busy but I wanted to keep this story alive and hopefully I want to take some time and work on this. **

When he entered his flat the first thing Ianto wanted to do was take a long shower and wash a week's worth of dirt, grime and blood off of him. It wasn't until the water began to cascade down on his worn shoulders that the gravity of his situation became clear to him. He was home now, in their home, without her. He couldn't stay, really could he? He would have to move house. He couldn't be there with memories of her echoing down every hall. That would be worse than any punishment Jack could think of really. Oh yes, there would be a punishment. Of that Ianto was certain. Jack had acted all kind and concerned the past week and they even kissed but once the smoke had settled Ianto knew there would be hell to pay.

Did Jack think that allowing Ianto to go home was a reward for good behavior? It wasn't. Ianto would much rather be in that cell where he could still hide behind his shields and act like the victim in his own way, even if no one was watching. Now he had nothing to do but sit with his thought that he was trying so hard to suppress, but it was impossible, not when he was there in her house. Her house that they were going to live in together.

Loud bangs woke Ianto up. He moaned when he recognized Jack's shouting coming from outside his door. Slowly getting up he made his way to the front door. Jack's protests were getting more rapid and Ianto reached for the handle to let his annoyed boss in when the door was kicked open and he tumbled to the floor from the force.

"Ianto!" Jack shouted before noticing the man on the floor. "Oh there you are. Oh! I am so sorry!" Jack scrambled to help the young man off the floor.

"Dammit Jack, what was that for?"

"You weren't answering and I was scared."

"Why?"

"You haven't been answering your phone and I thought the worse. I am sorry."

"Jack, I was sleeping," Ianto moaned.

"All day?"

"What time is it?"

"Five."

"Oh...yeah."

"That tired huh?"

"It's been a bad week. Coffee?"

"Yeah that would be great," Jack said taking off his coat and throwing it on the couch. "I'll fix your door I promise."

"Yeah you better. I don't think I'm up to it right now." Ianto came back and gave Jack a mug.

"Not having any yourself?" Jack asked.

"No."

"How many times last night Ianto?" Jack's voice was filled with concern.

"Three, why four but there was nothing less in my stomach so I don't think that counts, sir."

"It counts."

"Four then."

"I'll send Owen over later."

"Okay," Ianto paused, "why are you here?"

"Making sure you are okay. Also, the rift is looking bad, so you may be on call. Also, due to recent events your security clearance has been lowered. Not forever, but you need to rebuild some trust. Also I am starting you on field training."

Ianto froze.

"Ianto, do you understand?"

Ianto nodded.

"I'll call tomorrow," Jack grabbed his coat, ran his hand through Ianto's hair once, and left. Ianto was still frozen. There it was, his punishment. The lower security clearance wasn't a surprise. The field ops on the other hand was not what he expected. He sighed. Was Jack even aware of what he did? Ianto thought not. Field ops to a man who can't die is fun, but to Ianto, a man who was born to be in an office, it was a death sentence. No one survived long in Torchwood, and being the office boy extended his life a little longer. He was on the front line now and he wasn't sure if he would last long. Wasn't that what the front line was for? First to fall?

**Tell me what you think. - TOL**


	7. Chapter 7

Ianto was sitting on the couch about to start a film when there was a knock on the door. He wasn't expecting anyone, but he had a good idea on who it was. He padded across the living room barefoot, only in trackpants and a t-shirt, and opened the front door. Jack smiled before walking past him heading towards the kitchen.

"I brought Chinese and paperwork, your two favorite things," Jack said over his shoulder. It was two weeks into Ianto's time at home during his suspension. Jack had made an effort to make an appearance at least once a day, for as long as the rift allowed and the few days that wasn't possible, he called several times.

"Your brought paperwork?" Ianto asked, closing the door.

"I'm drowning in it. Owen hasn't even bothered. Keeps muttering that it's below his pay grade, or something like that."

"Tell Owen it's his job and exactly what he gets paid for," Ianto sat down on the couch. He could hear Jack running around his kitchen, looking for plates. When Jack finally emerged he had both dinners in his hands and a stack of paperwork. "What did you order?"

"Number 4. That's what you told me before, right?" Jack said, placing the plates down and flopping down next to Ianto on the couch.

"That's your order, but I'll take it." Ianto took a bite. "So what did you bring me?"

"Old reports, things for UNIT, the budget. I have no idea what any of it means."

Ianto opened the file and began to read.

"Ianto? This is okay right? I mean, you doing this. I know you are on suspension and all but-"

"I haven't done anything for two weeks now, sir. I'm going to go crazy soon," Ianto said, still reading the file.

"Only if you're sure," Jack sighed, leaning back into the couch. "What movie do you have in?"

"Casino Royale," Ianto muttered.

"Nice."

Jack continued to mutter over the movie, but Ianto wasn't really listening anymore. He was too absorbed in the reports. Work, it was numbing. It demanded attention. It was all consuming. Exactly what he wanted. Sure, he put on a smile when Jack came, but he never stayed longer than an hour, so that left another 23 of self pitying and time to think of the hypotheticals and the what ifs. Work took time, and concentration. Something that he had plenty of and wanted to give. He wasn't Ianto Jones when he was doing work. He was a machine, with an input and an output. Jack thought this was useless and boring, but he couldn't be more wrong. This was the medicine Ianto needed and he couldn't wait to get back to work.

Ianto turned the page. These weather reports looked interesting.


	8. Chapter 8

**I am so sorry for the wait, but I'm leaving for school soon, and had to get so much done. I will try, I promise.**

Ianto couldn't take it any longer. He still had about a week left in his suspension, but he had to get back to work. This file Jack had dropped off needed attention, and he knew no one would even notice it, except for him. Weather patterns that were a little funny, why would the team care?Half the time if Ianto didn't tell them what the file said, it would be left untouched. No, he would have to Jack about this when he came over for dinner. However, that's when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ianto, it's Jack."

Ianto smiled at the assumption that he would not recognize the man who he saw everyday's voice. "Is there anything wrong, sir?"

"Yeah, sorry, rift is keeping me busy, looks like it's going to be an all-nighter, so I won't be able to come around for dinner."

"That's fine, sir," Ianto said even though he was slightly disappointed.

"Talk to you later," and with that the connection ended.

Ianto stared at his phone, his hand shaking. He wanted to mention the file, but now he wasn't even going to see Jack. He replaced the phone and order chinese for one, saying to himself that the case could wait, he wasn't on duty at the moment anyway.

"Okay, that didn't work," he thought to himself a few hours later. He had to go in, just to get a quick reading and he would be out. No one had to know, but he couldn't just let this wait. Ianto had his hand on the door knob before freezing and turning back. He needed his suit. He never walked in there without it, and it felt wrong to go in without it. Going back to his bedroom, he opened his closet that he hadn't open for 3 weeks.

The hub was quiet, as it should be. Jack must have been out doing a clean up because the stations were all closed down, so the team must have left. If it was anything major, someone else would have been there. There was no point in turning on the lights, because this would only take a second, and he didn't want the maintenance system to register his presence at 4 in the morning. Ianto released a sigh of relief when he got into the hub. This was going to be easy.

"You shouldn't be here."

Ianto jumped. He wasn't expecting Jack to be standing in his office. He was suppose to be out all night doing calls. "Neither should you." Ianto raced to the station to just leave the data open for when Tosh got in, but he felt a hand on his back.

"Whatcha got?"

Ianto instantly relaxed. He wasn't going to be kicked out. "Funny sort of weather patterns."

"Is that really important?"

"I think so," Ianto nodded. He brought up some programs to search for more information and cross references while Jack another seat over to help him. They worked in silence for a good while before Jack spoke again.

"I guess I have to pay a friend a visit."

"Do you know what this is?"

"I can guess," Jack shrugged.

"Is it bad?"

"It's always bad."

"Good thing I showed you then," Ianto tried to smile to lighten the mood.

"You really shouldn't be here Ianto."

"I know, sir." Ianto looked down and began to move back from the desk. He knew a dismissal when he heard one.

"Look, it's almost 6 am, which is when you usually come in. How about you stay a few hours, start catching up. Go home after lunch, there's no point in sneaking out the back door."

Ianto smiled. "Really, sir?"

Jack shrugged. "If Owen found out you where here and didn't leave coffee he'll drag you back."

"Thank you, sir."

"No Ianto, thank you."

**Tell me what you think - TOL**


End file.
